Here, you will find articles on the latest Cisco services and product offerings designed to make your network stronger and more reliable.

Cisco Smart Call Home Wins SSPA Award for Best Embedded Product Support

Cisco Technical Services has a reputation for award-winning exceptional customer service and network support. The newest Cisco service capability to be recognized by industry peers is Smart Call Home, awarded a 2008 SSPA STAR Award by the Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA) for "Best Embedded Product Support."

Embedded in the latest OS release of the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series, Cisco MDS 9000 Family, and Cisco 7600 Series Router, the Smart Call Home capability offers proactive diagnostics and real-time alerts on Cisco devices. Alerts can automatically engage the Technical Assistance Center (TAC) in potential issues and determine resolution steps by the time network administrators are even aware there is a problem. Devices are continually monitored with secure, connected service. If an issue is detected, an automated service request may be generated, including detailed diagnostics, and immediately routed to the correct TAC team.

It's easy to download and install the appropriate operating system update and then configure the Smart Call Home service feature. A Quickstart Guide is provided so that in less than 30 minutes you can start to benefit from this powerful, new diagnostic capability.

Resolution and parts replacement (if needed) can take less than one-third the time compared to the normal troubleshooting process. Mike DeDecker of Warner Pacific, a general insurance agency for insurance carriers, recently spoke about the time-saving business benefit he experienced:

"Cisco Smart Call Home allowed me to fix a network problem in about an hour that would have typically taken one of my staff two days to troubleshoot. Not only did Smart Call Home save me the operational expense of keeping one of my engineers on this issue for 48 hours, but the bigger bonus was that it kept my customer connected and happy as well."

The Smart Call Home capability is available through Cisco SMARTnet Service and Cisco SP Base Service and will be available for many other Cisco devices over the next 12 months. The Cisco Nexus 5000 and Cisco Nexus 7000 Series will be supported in June.

Cisco helps customers operate their Cisco solutions throughout their lifecycle, and this award recognizes the innovative approach Cisco has taken with Cisco Smart Call Home. The prestigious SSPA peer-recognition award honors companies that demonstrate ongoing high-level commitment to delivering world-class results in software and technical support.

According to Joe Pinto, Senior VP Cisco Technical Services, "Smart Call Home is the first of many new technical service developments on the horizon that stands to redefine technical service and support from reactive to proactive and eventually being predictive."

New Cisco Product Quick Reference Guide Available for Preorder

Announcing the new Summer/Fall 2008 edition of the "Cisco Product Quick Reference Guide" – a complete portfolio of Cisco products and solutions for every part of your business. This guide includes brief product overviews, important features, technical specifications, part numbers, and ordering information for many of Cisco's products. It meets your information needs whether you're an enterprise, a service provider, or a small or medium-sized business.

New Cisco Product Documentation Available Online

"What's New in Cisco Product Documentation" is an online publication that provides information about the latest documentation releases for Cisco products. Updated monthly, this online publication is organized by product category to direct you quickly to the documentation for your products.

In addition to many new and revised documents, highlights of the June release include documentation for the following:

Cisco Application eXtension Platform

Cisco ASR 1000 Series Aggregation Services Routers

Cisco IOS Master Command List, All Releases

View the latest release of "What's New in Cisco Product Documentation" online or as an RSS feed today.

With a Cisco Production Documentation DVD subscription, you can have the latest product documentation sent to you each month ensuring this useful information is available to you anywhere, anytime. Now with subscriptions available outside the United States, this useful DVD enables you to access product documentation to help you install, configure, maintain, and support your Cisco hardware and software when you are not connected to the Internet. The DVD also contains an archive of field notices, alerts, troubleshooting tips, and much more.

Visit the Product Documentation Store to get your Cisco Production Documentation DVD. Order a single unit or subscription and get a complimentary booklight (while supplies last).